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Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Finding Balance

Fall semester is in full swing, which means that my days are
getting busier and busier. I used to dislike being busy, because I liked the
flexibility that comes with having a lot of free time. Now, I think I actually
enjoy having a lot of places to be and projects to finish, which is weird and
new for me. I guess I like working! That’s probably a good thing, as long as I
don’t overwork myself.

Right now, I’m getting further along on creating my senior
thesis, which is a 16-page paper I’ll be writing and designing a book for by
the end of the semester. It’s a lot of research, and research-oriented
writing—which is definitely not my style. I much prefer a tone that’s more
informal and relatable, like what I use on this blog. I understand that
academics aren’t really the place for a personal narrative, but that’s just the
kind of story I’d rather read and write.

Thankfully, some of the research I’ll be conducting for my
thesis will involve collecting stories from people, and I’m looking forward to
working on that! I know that I want to collect personal testimonies from
people, but at the moment my actual research topic isn’t defined clearly enough
for me to start collecting that data. I still need to narrow down my thoughts
and figure out what I want to say with this paper—essentially, I still need to
write my thesis statement! And I’ve got time, certainly, but not too much.

In the mean time, I’m still getting out and taking breaks to
keep myself from burning out on my work. I stopped by Adele’s out in Excelsior
for some custard (which was delicious), and it’s a really cute place! I’d
definitely recommend it, if you ever head out to the southwest suburbs. They'll close for the winter at the end of November, so if you want to try it before spring you'll need to go soon!